


Offer of a Lifetime

by lost_spook



Category: Press Gang, Spooks | MI-5
Genre: Awesome Lynda Day, Crossover, Gen, Humour, Women Being Awesome, there's no one like lynda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-30
Updated: 2010-10-30
Packaged: 2017-10-12 23:28:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/130320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lost_spook/pseuds/lost_spook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jools pays a visit to the <i>Gazette</i> office with a proposal.  It doesn't go as he planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Offer of a Lifetime

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for Belantana in an LJ crossover meme.

"So, Mr Smith, what is it? We've got an edition due out in two days and this isn't a convenient time. Is that your real name, anyway?"

"Of course not." Jools Siviter leant back in the chair opposite Lynda Day, editor of the Junior Gazette. Usually he'd have chosen more discreet surroundings to approach someone, but the chaos of the newsroom was cover in itself. Besides, if they'd learned one thing, it was that prising Lynda out of the building was no easy matter. There were nights when she even slept there.

"Well, that's honest, I suppose."

"We've been watching you for a while, young lady."

Lynda paused in between scratching out a line of overly purple prose from Hannah, a newcomer to the newsroom, and resolved to fire the girl. "Isn't that called stalking? Or are you just a peeping Tom?"

"'We'," he informed her with a smile, "are MI6, Lynda. But it's good to see someone with such a refreshing sense of humour."

"Sense of humour?"

"You're exactly the sort we want in the service - ruthless, intelligent, amoral and doesn't know the meaning of the word failure."

She gave him a glare. "There isn't a word in the dictionary I don't know the meaning of!"

"That's exactly the sort of thing I mean," murmured Jools.

Lynda put her pencil to her mouth and said, "You're from MI6?"

"I may be."

"Great!" she said, showing some enthusiasm at last. "We could do with a general interest piece for page seven. You don't mind if Sarah interviews you while you're here, do you?"

He frowned. This encounter was not going as expected. "You understand what I'm offering you? Travel, adventure, the chance to serve your country. With your talents, young lady, we could even install you as dictator of some eastern European country for the next ten years or so."

"Right," she said, still paying more attention to the proof in front of her. "Kenny! Can we have more of the Supermarket fraud on page two and cut that ridiculous thing about the cat -."

The MI6 agent cursed audibly.

Lynda chewed the pencil further and pushed the swear box in his direction. Somehow he found himself putting a pound in. It really was a crying shame she wasn't interested.

Jools coughed after a few more minutes of being ignored. "I did make you a generous offer, Lynda."

"Yes, well, it wasn't very impressive, was it?" she returned, glancing up this time. "You could at least have offered me Belgium or Portugal. Besides, I happen to be busy with the next edition. Unless you're going to give us an interview about what it's really like to be a spy, you can go, Mr Smith. Oh, and do try and think of a more original alias next time. I'm beginning to think you're either a liar or you're not very good at your job."

"For heaven's sake, woman, don't you ever think about anything other than the _Junior Gazette_?"

"No," said someone else, a dark-haired lad cutting in from behind. He grinned at Jools. "She really doesn't. Look, Lynda, Hannah says you've cut two thirds of her article again and she's walking out if you get rid of another line."

She smiled a wicked smile. "Good. That'll save me firing her."

"And, if you've finished, I'd like my chair back," added Kenny to Jools. "Please."

Jools sighed. "Am I to assume you're turning me down? You may regret this, young lady."

Eventually Lynda looked up. "You can have Colin," she offered hopefully.


End file.
